[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2162 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry, I cant tell if that's supposed to be good or bad

Its GOOD

<.<

>.>

If anyone quotes me on that, i'll deny it.

 

[green_avanti]

Would be interested in attending, kit I can possibly add to the mix that is not mentioned in the opening page:

• iQube portable amp
• JMT PiMeta portable amp
• iMod iPod video gen 5.5
• iRiver iHP/H120
• Shure SE530 PTH canalphones
• Sen HD 201 (fav in $40 headphones)
• Other cables perhaps (eg JMT silver, Quables iPod dock cable, etc)

Also have a number of classic PCDPs and MDs.

g_a

Canberra

 

[Covenant]

Thats an impressive list green_avanti, hope to see you there!

 

[juzmister]

The headphones have landed...RS-1 and balanced 650s are in the house...Both really nice

 

[ephrank]

Congratulations on receiving the Pico and cable, Covenant!

 

[Mazz]

The iBasso D1 has been returned so it won't be coming, but there will be another one there.

I'm mulling over buying a used D2 Viper or new D2 Boa - so far they don't appear on the equipment list for the meet, but there are a couple of Headamp Picos and a Corda 2Move which would be useful comparisons (as would be an RSA Predator if one should turn up...)

 

[green_avanti]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats an impressive list green_avanti, hope to see you there!

Thanks Covenant..

Would like advice on music for demo'ing equipment.

Music I have used for cable evaluation in the past is; tracks from the Pink Floyd Echoes album (eg Learning to Fly) for lower midange and impact; Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells II for electricity and involvement; and duets from Sarah Brightman and Jose Cura (soprano and tenor) for range, clarity, balance and control.

But that is what I like, is there some other tracks the forum can suggest for demo'ing gear?

Also need advice on how best get some quick 'burn-in' time on some new gear, ie get 100hrs up quickly..

Cheers

g_a

 

[juzmister]

I'll bring my music library...Like 30000 tracks? should be something decent there

It's nice to listen as you burn in, but you can just put on a song on repeat and leave the phones connected?

 

[tz3ling]

Some say pink noise is good for burn-in... Who knows? Anyway, I've got a few test CDs (Chesky, Sheffield Labs, Tag McLaren) that I can bring.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by green_avanti /img/forum/go_quote.gif But that is what I like, is there some other tracks the forum can suggest for demo'ing gear? Also need advice on how best get some quick 'burn-in' time on some new gear, ie get 100hrs up quickly..

The best reference tracks are the ones you are very familiar with. If you play material you're not so familiar with you become less able to discern changes in the associated equipment.

I tend to use Metallica's Black Album - specifically Of Wolf and Man, as my midbass test track. The first 15 seconds or so has a very heavy midbass attack that really tests what a headphone is capable of basswise. Loreena McKennitt's Marco Polo and Shpongle's Dorset Perception are my percussion and imaging reference tracks, The Highwayman my treble/female vocal track, and various Michael Buble/Josh Groban albums for male vocal.

So I just pick material i'm familiar with that excels in one particular area - like bass attack for Metallica - as my basis of comparison.

Regarding burn-in, I usually put an album on repeat for a day, at slightly higher than normal listening volume, then a different album the next day, and a different album the day after, usually different genres that emphasise different frequency ranges, to make sure that over the length of the process the driver is being made to recreate most of the spectrum. Hope that helps.

 

[Mazz]

Just ordered a green iBasso D2 Boa (USB DAC/AMP) - less than $195 shipped at Paypal's current exchange rate!

USB charging, 38 hours battery life, same DAC as the Pico (IIRC) but probably doesn't have the upsampling ASRC - but no op-amp rolling on this model.

Unless something goes horribly wrong in production/shipping I'll bring it to the meet and try and get some reasonable burn-in beforehand. Should be interesting comparing to the Pico, 2Move and the D1.

 

[ZephyrSapphire]

Just to add to the list IF i'm going, Go-Vibe USB DAC, Minibox-D. HOPEFULLY these two things will arrive before the meet though ><"

 

[Mazz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif The best reference tracks are the ones you are very familiar with. If you play material you're not so familiar with you become less able to discern changes in the associated equipment.

I've only been looking at upgrading my headphone experience for a few months, but at CanJam I brought a bunch of tracks I used when auditioning for my hi-fi speaker system last year so I'm reasonably familiar with them.

My brother's a bit of a hi-fi nut and helped me out a bit. He put me on to the Chesky Ultimate Demonstration Disc - which is good for my needs because I particularly like to listen to jazz and it's got several jazz-based tracks. It also has a narrator who describes what aspects to listen for before each demo track which can be highly educational.

I also brought other tracks I was familiar with that I liked and that had some reason for being in the demo list - different aspects of sound, different genres of music. A few things from that list:

1. Solo piano (e.g. George Winston, Winter Into Spring album, "February Sea"). Piano can sound really artificial if there's something wrong with the reproduction. You want a track that covers much of the keyboard range. If it does piano well you've made a good start.
2. Mozart Requiem - "Dies Irea" and "Confutatis". Quite a bit going on in these tracks - a lot of orchestra including a fair bit down the bottom end plus massed voices. Good for seeing (providing it's a good recording) how clearly you can hear all of the elements that go into the performance.
3. Holly Cole Trio - Don't Smoke in Bed - "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday". Several Holly Cole albums have acoustic bass quite high in the mix, as well as keyboards/percussion/female vocals. You want to hear that the bass sounds natural, that you can hear it down to the lowest notes played, and that the overall balance with the rest of the performers is fine. These two tracks are a bit tricky though - the acoustic bass sound can vary considerably in volume from note to note, and there's a lot of resonance from the instrument body (as well as the room if you use speakers). I'm used to hearing them on my speakers which comfortably go below 30Hz, but it can be hard to know what you're missing if you've never heard it.
4. Acoustic/semi-acoustic guitar - e.g. Michael Hedges, Breakfast In the Field, "Funky Avocado", or William Ackerman - Sound of Wind Driven Rain, "Unconditional". I also use Bruck Cockburn - Big Circumstance, "Pangs of Love" which has male vocals in a semi-acoustic folk-rock kind of genre (?)
5. Some low powerful bass - e.g. Peter Gabriel - Long Walk Home (soundtrack from Rabbit Proof Fence) - "Jigalong" or "The Tracker". I nearly jumped out of my chair the first time I heard this on my speakers.
6. A big organ in a large performance space can be interesting - e.g. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
7. Other tracks from different genres/styles that you like that should sound good to you. You need to have heard them on a reasonably good system to know if they are well recorded (alternatively you might get quite a surprise with some tracks when you first hear them on a good system). Include vocalists you like (assuming you listen to vocals). Some of my tracks included Afro-Celt Sound System, Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer, Nick Cave, Tori Amos, Dire Straits - Private Investigations (atmospheric), U2, Springsteen...

 

[Covenant]

I've posted my impressions on the APS V3 if anyone's curious:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f38/ap...3/index45.html

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've posted my impressions on the APS V3 if anyone's curious: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f38/ap...3/index45.html

Nice comments/impressions, Covenant. It's one of only two copper-based ICs I use and certainly continues to perform (i.e. reveal even more) with even higher end equipment.